Reports of computer security breaches involving compromised personal or confidential information are all too frequent. For example, the May 6, 2005 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education lists 14 separate incidents involving major higher-education institutions within the span of a couple of months. The problem is not confined to higher-education institutions, but affects all industries (government, banking health care, etc.), and home computer users as well.
Computer security and identity theft are the most pressing issues of the information age and generate tremendous collective anxiety among executives, IT professionals, and home users alike. Moreover, legislation relating to privacy and security of information (e.g. Gramm Leach Bluely Act (GLB), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), etc.) continue to tighten, while the severity of penalties for non-compliance continues to increase. In the present climate, even the slightest of security breaches can do serious damage to an organization's reputation or bottom line, leaving their customers' financial affairs and/or expectations of privacy completely shattered.
Attempts to solve problem have focused on continued efforts to harden security over confidential and personally-identifiable information contained within enterprise systems; but these solutions do not appear sufficient as breaches continue to occur at an alarming rate. Therefore, a solution is needed to create additional protections to the existing control regimes; yet at the same time be easy to use, rapidly deployable and highly cost-effective. More specifically what is needed is a cost-effective solution that will effectively render sensitive data that may be lost, or stolen, useless to an unauthorized recipient.